Fisheries of the Gulf of Mexico; Southeast Data, Assessment, and Review (SEDAR); Public Meeting, 53776-53777 [2015-22539]

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53776
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 173 / Tuesday, September 8, 2015 / Notices
Assessment
• Panel Questions and Answers
3. Thursday, September 10, 2015 (9
a.m.–4 p.m.)
• Continue Assessment Review (1⁄2
day)
• Panel Questions and Answers
• Panel Discussions (Closed)
4. Friday, September 11, 2015 (9 a.m.–
4 p.m.)
• Panel Discussions (1⁄2 day)
• Present Results (afternoon)
• Adjourn
The order in which agenda items are
addressed may change. The meetings
will run as late as necessary to complete
scheduled business.
Although non-emergency issues not
contained in this agenda may come up
at the meeting for discussion, those
issues may not be the subject of formal
action during the meeting. Action will
be restricted to those issues specifically
listed in this notice and any issues
arising after publication of this notice
that require emergency action under
section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens
Act, provided the public has been
notified of the intent to take final action
to address the emergency.
Special Accommodations
These meetings are physically
accessible to people with disabilities.
Direct requests for sign language
interpretation or other auxiliary aids to
Christofer Boggs, (808) 725–5364 or
Christofer.Boggs@noaa.gov.
setting annual catch limits (ACLs) for
bottomfish fisheries in American
Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth
of the Northern Mariana Islands.
DATES: The meeting will be held on
Friday, September 25, 2015, starting at
1 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at
the Council office, 1164 Bishop St., 14th
Floor, Honolulu, HI 96813 and via
teleconference; conference telephone:
(808) 522–3560.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kitty M. Simonds, Executive Director,
Western Pacific Fishery Management
Council; telephone: (808) 522–8220.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Agenda
Friday, September 25, 2015
Following introductions, participants
will review the overfishing limit for
territorial bottomfish fisheries and the
results of risk analyses that considered
quality of the stock assessment,
uncertainty characteristics, stock status,
and productivity and susceptibility.
Participants will then discuss social,
economic, ecological, and management
uncertainty factors relevant to these
fisheries that may warrant the Council
to consider additional catch limit
reductions. Finally, individuals will
score these factors and these scores will
be averaged in order to reach consensus
on a recommendation to the Council.
Special Accommodations
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: September 2, 2015.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2015–22536 Filed 9–4–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
This meeting is physically accessible
to people with disabilities. Requests for
sign language interpretation or other
auxiliary aids should be directed to
Kitty M. Simonds (see ADDRESSES) at
least 5 days prior to the meeting date.
Dated: September 2, 2015.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[FR Doc. 2015–22540 Filed 9–4–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
RIN 0648–XE135
Western Pacific Management Council;
Public Meeting
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of a public meeting.
asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
AGENCY:
The Western Pacific Fishery
Management Council (Council) will
convene a half-day meeting on Friday,
September 25, 2015 regarding social,
economic, ecological, and management
uncertainty (SEEM) factors pertinent to
SUMMARY:
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17:18 Sep 04, 2015
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–XE133
Fisheries of the Gulf of Mexico;
Southeast Data, Assessment, and
Review (SEDAR); Public Meeting
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
AGENCY:
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Notice of SEDAR 45 preworkshop webinar for Gulf of Mexico
Vermilion Snapper.
ACTION:
The SEDAR assessment of the
Gulf of Mexico Vermilion Snapper will
consist of one in-person workshop and
a series of webinars. See SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION.
DATES: The SEDAR pre-Workshop
webinar will be held September 25,
2015, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Eastern
Standard Time.
ADDRESSES: Meeting address: The
meeting will be held via webinar. The
webinar is open to members of the
public. Those interested in participating
should contact Julie A. Neer at SEDAR
(see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT)
to request an invitation providing
webinar access information. Please
request webinar invitations at least 24
hours in advance of each webinar.
SEDAR address: 4055 Faber Place
Drive, Suite 201, North Charleston, SC
29405.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Julie
A. Neer, SEDAR Coordinator; (843) 571–
4366; email: Julie.neer@safmc.net.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
The Gulf of Mexico, South Atlantic,
and Caribbean Fishery Management
Councils, in conjunction with NOAA
Fisheries and the Atlantic and Gulf
States Marine Fisheries Commissions
have implemented the Southeast Data,
Assessment and Review (SEDAR)
process, a multi-step method for
determining the status of fish stocks in
the Southeast Region. SEDAR is a multistep process including: (1) Data/
Assessment Workshop, and (2) a series
of webinars. The product of the Data/
Assessment Workshop is a report which
compiles and evaluates potential
datasets and recommends which
datasets are appropriate for assessment
analyses, and describes the fisheries,
evaluates the status of the stock,
estimates biological benchmarks,
projects future population conditions,
and recommends research and
monitoring needs. Participants for
SEDAR Workshops are appointed by the
Gulf of Mexico, South Atlantic, and
Caribbean Fishery Management
Councils and NOAA Fisheries Southeast
Regional Office, HMS Management
Division, and Southeast Fisheries
Science Center. Participants include
data collectors and database managers;
stock assessment scientists, biologists,
and researchers; constituency
representatives including fishermen,
environmentalists, and NGO’s;
International experts; and staff of
Councils, Commissions, and state and
federal agencies.
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\08SEN1.SGM
08SEN1
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 173 / Tuesday, September 8, 2015 / Notices
The items of discussion in the
Assessment Process webinars are as
follows: Panelists will present summary
data, and discuss data needs and
treatments.
Although non-emergency issues not
contained in this agenda may come
before this group for discussion, those
issues may not be the subject of formal
action during this meeting. Action will
be restricted to those issues specifically
identified in this notice and any issues
arising after publication of this notice
that require emergency action under
section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management
Act, provided the public has been
notified of the intent to take final action
to address the emergency.
Special Accommodations
The meeting is physically accessible
to people with disabilities. Requests for
sign language interpretation or other
auxiliary aids should be directed to the
Council office (see ADDRESSES) at least
10 business days prior to each
workshop.
Note: The times and sequence
specified in this agenda are subject to
change.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: September 2, 2015.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2015–22539 Filed 9–4–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–XD978
Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to
Specified Activities; Taking Marine
Mammals Incidental to the
Rehabilitation of Jetty A at the Mouth
of the Columbia River
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; issuance of an incidental
harassment authorization.
asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
regulations implementing the Marine
Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) as
amended, notification is hereby given
that we have issued an incidental
harassment authorization (IHA) to the
U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (the Corps)
to incidentally harass, by Level B
harassment only, six species of marine
SUMMARY:
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17:18 Sep 04, 2015
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mammals during activities related to the
rehabilitation of Jetty A at the mouth of
the Columbia River (MCR).
DATES: This authorization is effective
from May 1, 2016 through April 30,
2017.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Robert Pauline, Office of Protected
Resources, NMFS, (301) 427–8401.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Availability
An electronic copy of the Corps’
application and supporting documents,
as well as a list of the references cited
in this document, may be obtained by
visiting the Internet at:
www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/permits/
incidental/construction.htm. In case of
problems accessing these documents,
please call the contact listed above (see
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).
Background
Sections 101(a)(5)(A) and (D) of the
MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) direct
the Secretary of Commerce to allow,
upon request, the incidental, but not
intentional, taking of small numbers of
marine mammals by U.S. citizens who
engage in a specified activity (other than
commercial fishing) within a specified
geographical region if certain findings
are made and either regulations are
issued or, if the taking is limited to
harassment, a notice of a proposed
authorization is provided to the public
for review.
Authorization for incidental takings
shall be granted if NMFS finds that the
taking will have a negligible impact on
the species or stock(s), will not have an
unmitigable adverse impact on the
availability of the species or stock(s) for
subsistence uses (where relevant), and if
the permissible methods of taking and
requirements pertaining to the
mitigation, monitoring and reporting of
such takings are set forth. NMFS has
defined ‘‘negligible impact’’ in 50 CFR
216.103 as ‘‘. . . an impact resulting
from the specified activity that cannot
be reasonably expected to, and is not
reasonably likely to, adversely affect the
species or stock through effects on
annual rates of recruitment or survival.’’
Section 101(a)(5)(D) of the MMPA
established an expedited process by
which citizens of the U.S. can apply for
an authorization to incidentally take
small numbers of marine mammals by
harassment. Section 101(a)(5)(D)
establishes a 45-day time limit for
NMFS’ review of an application
followed by a 30-day public notice and
comment period on any proposed
authorizations for the incidental
harassment of marine mammals. Within
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53777
45 days of the close of the comment
period, NMFS must either issue or deny
the authorization. Except with respect to
certain activities not pertinent here, the
MMPA defines ‘‘harassment’’ as ‘‘any
act of pursuit, torment, or annoyance
which (i) has the potential to injure a
marine mammal or marine mammal
stock in the wild [Level A harassment];
or (ii) has the potential to disturb a
marine mammal or marine mammal
stock in the wild by causing disruption
of behavioral patterns, including, but
not limited to, migration, breathing,
nursing, breeding, feeding, or sheltering
[Level B harassment].’’
Summary of Request
On February 13, 2015 NMFS received
an application from the Corps for the
taking of marine mammals incidental to
the rehabilitation of Jetty A at the MCR.
On June 9, 2015 NMFS received a
revised application. NMFS determined
that the application was adequate and
complete on June 12, 2015. The Corps
proposes to conduct in-water work that
may incidentally harass marine
mammals (i.e., pile driving and
removal). The use of vibratory pile
driving is expected to produce
underwater sound at levels that have the
potential to result in behavioral
harassment of marine mammals. Species
with the expected potential to be
present during the project timeframe
include killer whale (Orcinus orca),
Steller sea lion (Eumatopius jubatus),
gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus),
harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena),
California sea lion (Zalophus
californianus), and harbor seal (Phoca
vitulina richardii).
Description of the Specified Activity
Overview
The Corps is seeking an IHA for the
first year of pile installation and,
possibly, removal work at Jetty A related
to construction and maintenance of a
barge offloading facility. The barge
facility will be used for activities
associated with the rehabilitation of
Jetty A. The Corps is seeking this
authorization by the end of August 2015
for contract bid scheduling reasons.
Dates and Duration
Work on the first year of pile
installation may begin as early as May
2016 and would extend through
September 2017. Because the work may
extend to two seasons the Corps has
requested a Letter of Authorization
(LOA) that would come into effect
immediately after the IHA expires for
the second year of pile maintenance and
removal at Jetty A. The LOA would also
E:\FR\FM\08SEN1.SGM
08SEN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 173 (Tuesday, September 8, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53776-53777]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-22539]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XE133
Fisheries of the Gulf of Mexico; Southeast Data, Assessment, and
Review (SEDAR); Public Meeting
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of SEDAR 45 pre-workshop webinar for Gulf of Mexico
Vermilion Snapper.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The SEDAR assessment of the Gulf of Mexico Vermilion Snapper
will consist of one in-person workshop and a series of webinars. See
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
DATES: The SEDAR pre-Workshop webinar will be held September 25, 2015,
from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
ADDRESSES: Meeting address: The meeting will be held via webinar. The
webinar is open to members of the public. Those interested in
participating should contact Julie A. Neer at SEDAR (see FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT) to request an invitation providing webinar access
information. Please request webinar invitations at least 24 hours in
advance of each webinar.
SEDAR address: 4055 Faber Place Drive, Suite 201, North Charleston,
SC 29405.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Julie A. Neer, SEDAR Coordinator;
(843) 571-4366; email: Julie.neer@safmc.net.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
The Gulf of Mexico, South Atlantic, and Caribbean Fishery
Management Councils, in conjunction with NOAA Fisheries and the
Atlantic and Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commissions have implemented
the Southeast Data, Assessment and Review (SEDAR) process, a multi-step
method for determining the status of fish stocks in the Southeast
Region. SEDAR is a multi-step process including: (1) Data/Assessment
Workshop, and (2) a series of webinars. The product of the Data/
Assessment Workshop is a report which compiles and evaluates potential
datasets and recommends which datasets are appropriate for assessment
analyses, and describes the fisheries, evaluates the status of the
stock, estimates biological benchmarks, projects future population
conditions, and recommends research and monitoring needs. Participants
for SEDAR Workshops are appointed by the Gulf of Mexico, South
Atlantic, and Caribbean Fishery Management Councils and NOAA Fisheries
Southeast Regional Office, HMS Management Division, and Southeast
Fisheries Science Center. Participants include data collectors and
database managers; stock assessment scientists, biologists, and
researchers; constituency representatives including fishermen,
environmentalists, and NGO's; International experts; and staff of
Councils, Commissions, and state and federal agencies.
[[Page 53777]]
The items of discussion in the Assessment Process webinars are as
follows: Panelists will present summary data, and discuss data needs
and treatments.
Although non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda may come
before this group for discussion, those issues may not be the subject
of formal action during this meeting. Action will be restricted to
those issues specifically identified in this notice and any issues
arising after publication of this notice that require emergency action
under section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act, provided the public has been notified of the intent to
take final action to address the emergency.
Special Accommodations
The meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities.
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids
should be directed to the Council office (see ADDRESSES) at least 10
business days prior to each workshop.
Note: The times and sequence specified in this agenda are subject
to change.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: September 2, 2015.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-22539 Filed 9-4-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P